Dai-ichi Life Insurance bucked the upward trend with its shares down 4.97 percent to close at 1,433 yen after the leading Nikkei business daily said the company was considering issuing new shares to buy Protective Life, a mid-sized US life insurance firm.

Japanese media pegged the value of the takeover at nearly $5.0 billion.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.11 percent to 16,717.17, setting a fresh record, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.18 percent to 1,923.57, notching a record for the second straight day. (AFP)